REARVIEW MIRROR: A LOOK BACK AT CLASSIC INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP RACES

Courtesy IRL Media

Just eight points separate IndyCar Series championship leaders Scott Dixon (570 points), Dario Franchitti (565) and Ryan Briscoe (562) entering the season-ending Firestone Indy 300 on Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It will be the 10th time in 14 IndyCar Series seasons that the title will be decided at the final race. This is the second of a six-part series looking back at some of the classic championship races in IndyCar Series history. Today, 2002: Hornish vs. Castroneves

When:
2002

Who:
Sam Hornish Jr. & Helio Castroneves

Where:
Chicagoland Speedway, September 8, 2002 & Texas Motor Speedway, September 15, 2002

The story:
The stage was set for an epic season when Penske Racing moved to the IndyCar Series full time starting in 2002 with two-time defending Champ Car champion Gil de Ferran and 2001 Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves. Panther Racing and Sam Hornish Jr., winners of the 2001 IndyCar Series title, emerged immediately as the main challengers to Penske by winning the season-opening Grand Prix of Miami on March 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with de Ferran and Castroneves finishing second and third, respectively.

Hornish, Castroneves and de Ferran occupied the top three in the point standings for the entire 15-race season. The gap between the trio in the standings was less than 20 points after eight of those 15 events.

Castroneves led teammate de Ferran by one point, 437-436, with just two races to go. Hornish was third, just eight points behind Castroneves. But Hornish capped a stirring return to the top of the standings by winning the last two races of the season. He captured the Delphi Indy 300 on Sept. 8 at Chicagoland Speedway by .0024 of a second over Al Unser Jr. and the Chevy 500 on Sept. 15 at Texas Motor Speedway by .0096 of a second over Castroneves, clinching the title by 20 points, 531-511, over Castroneves. De Ferran never got a chance to race for the title at Texas. He missed the season finale after suffering a concussion and fractured wrist in a crash Sept. 8 during the race at Chicagoland.

Hornish and Panther claimed their second consecutive IndyCar Series title despite trailing Castroneves and Penske by 61 points after the Radisson Indy 225 at Pikes Peak International Raceway on June 16, the halfway point of the season.

What They Say Now - Sam Hornish Jr:
"Probably the biggest thing was everybody discounted what we did in 2001 and said there wasn't any competition. Since Penske got there, you guys aren't going to be able to compete anymore. And to be able to go out and silence some of the critics … I think I looked at it a little bit as we want to run well, we want to beat them (Penske), but it was more of just let's go out there and do the same things that got us the title in 2001. There were a couple of times where I made mistakes, and that kept us from having a bigger cushion at the end of the year. In 2001, we ran all but four laps that year. If I had been a little more patient (in 2002), it would have been better. There were a couple times where I was more about just being able to beat the 3 (Castroneves) and the 6 (Gil de Ferran) than worrying about the championship. So I did let a little of that get into my mind, but at the end of the day, we were still able to do what it took. I feel that we all felt that if we did the same thing as last year (2001), we ought to be able to run pretty good. I'd rather go out and win a couple of races than feel like I finished second every race and won the championship. It may not be the smartest way to think, but you never know if you're going to go out there and get an opportunity to race again. So you want to get out there, and you want to finish it off good. That's how I always looked at it. It's kind of hard for me to just sit and ride."

Helio Castroneves:
"In 2002, the grand finale was at Texas. I needed to win the race, and Sam (Hornish Jr.) needed to finish third. We were battling there and it was very close, not only for the race, but for the championship. At one point, Sam went to the outside and felt something. I looked on the mirror, and he was right there. I was like, 'Dude, what are you doing?' But it was a lot of fun. It was great. Again, we ended up losing the championship again, but a great year for Team Penske."

The 2009 IndyCar Series season concludes Oct. 10 with the Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 4 p.m. (ET) Oct. 10 by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. A one-hour qualifying show will air on VERSUS at 6 p.m. Oct. 9. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season concludes with the Homestead-Miami 100 on Oct. 9 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be telecast live by VERSUS at 6 p.m. (ET).